Airbus has opened a new automated A321XLR equipping hangar in Hamburg. The new hangar will continue the modernisation and digitisation of Airbus’s industrial system and expand its capacity for the upped rate of the A320 programme to 75 in 2026.
The hangar has 9,600 m2 of production space where the components of the rear fuselages of the A321XLR aircraft will be installed and mounted. The facilities include a full range of technologies for operations and manufacturing, including automated logistics, fully digital systems and test stations capable of outputting the status of each fuselage section at any time.
“Airbus’s Hamburg site plays a significant role in the development and production of the A321XLR,” said André Walter, Airbus Head of Commercial Aircraft Production in Germany. “With our new state-of-the-art equipment installation hangar, we are now expanding our capacity to manufacture A321 fuselages and making an important contribution to supporting our ramp up.”
“This investment in the A321XLR equipment installation hangar at the Airbus Hamburg site is an important milestone towards transitioning aviation to climate neutrality,” added Anna Christmann, the Federal Government Coordinator of Germany Aerospace Policy. “This transformation is the key to making Germany a future-oriented and competitive aerospace location.”
The hangar was built with a 3,000 m2 photovoltaic system on the rooftop, supplying the hangar with electricity, while surpluses are used to power the site.
“I am delighted that Airbus is positioning itself as a trailblazer in sustainable aviation and that we are pulling together to accelerate progress toward climate-neutral aviation even further,” added Christmann.
Image: Airbus
